Wednesday, December 12, 2012

[Equipment] Hyundai commercialize ME-GI

At a large customer event in Korea on 9 November 2012, Hyundai revealed the first, commercial MAN B&W ME-GI engine. The ME-GI is a gas-injection, dual-fuel, low-speed diesel engine that, when acting as main propulsion in LNG carriers or any other type of merchant marine vessel, can burn gas or fuel-oil at any ratio, depending on the energy source available on board and dictated by relative cost of combustibles and owner preference.

The ME-GI type was successfully demonstrated at the ceremony in Korea, culminating in it achieving 100% load when powered by gas with a minimal amount of pilot oil for ignition. The engine subsequently successfully passed its Type Approval Test at the end of November.

In his speech at the ceremony, Ole Grøne – Senior Vice President Low-Speed Promotion & Sales, MAN Diesel & Turbo – said: “In spite of the fact that newbuilding activity presently is relatively low, the regulatory environment of shipping is being tightened, especially with a view to emission control. Hence, development activities are high and HHI’s commitment to work with MAN Diesel & Turbo towards this demonstration of the ME-GI principle on a real commercial engine is highly appreciated by the industry. In this context it should be noted that the ME-GI technology is retrofittable for all existing ME engines.

Jeong-Hwan, Kim, Senior Executive Vice President & COO Hyundai Heavy Industries, said in his speech: “The success of the dual-fuel ME-GI engine’s prototype test will lead to a great environmental contribution by effectively complying with stricter and stricter regulations, and I am confident that demand for the new engine will continue to rise in the future.”

Lars Juliussen – Senior Manager and Head of MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Diesel Research Centre, Copenhagen – held a technical presentation where he covered the ME-GI’s progress from research test rigs and the 4T50ME-GI research engine in Copenhagen, through its world premiere and demonstration test in May 2011, to that day’s demonstration test at Hyundai Engine & Machinery Division. Juliussen summarised the ME-GI engine as safe, reliable, flexible and clean.All data provided in this press release is for information purposes only, explicitly non-binding and subject to changes without further notice.

BackgroundThe customer event in Korea stemmed from the announcement in March 2012 where HHI-EMD – the Engine and Machinery Division of Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea – stated its intention to build an ME-GI prototype, a sentiment matched by Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of Japan who simultaneously announced their intention to do the same with a 6S70ME-C rebuilt as an ME-GI engine during the second quarter of 2013. The announcements brought the ME-GI even closer to commercial production.

Hyundai’s full-scale demonstration of the ME-GI principle is based on the temporary conversion to ME-GI of an existing production engine – an MAN B&W 8S70ME-C type – generously placed at its disposal by Frontline, the prominent Norwegian shipowner.

MAN Diesel & Turbo reports the demonstrations as stemming from customer requests to employ the ME-GI engine in new projects and states that production capability for the ME-GI is already available.